LOGINAgent Park shook her head when I explained Emma's proposal. "Absolutely not. Using a child as bait violates every protocol. Every ethical guideline. Every—""I'm already bait," Emma interrupted. Seven years old and interrupting an FBI agent. "The bad people want me. They're chasing me. So I'm already in danger. At least this way, you control the danger. You know when it's coming. You can be ready.""Emma—""And Mommy can't keep running. It's making her sick. She doesn't sleep. She barely eats. I see her crying when she thinks I'm not looking. This has to end. If I can help end it, I want to help."Agent Park looked at me. "She makes a compelling argument. But Bethany, if something goes wrong, if Emma gets hurt, you'll never forgive yourself. I won't forgive myself.""I know. But she's right. Running isn't working. Hiding isn't working. At some point, we have to face them. And if Emma's presence gives us tactical advantages, strategic leverage, then maybe we use that.""The psychologic
Morning came too quickly. I hadn't slept. Just lay there replaying Brock's text over and over. "I know this is a setup. But I'm coming anyway."Agent Park arrived at dawn with coffee and a tactical briefing. She spread maps across the kitchen table. Showed me the rest stop. The positioning of her teams. The escape routes they'd block. The ways this could go right.She didn't mention the ways it could go wrong. We both already knew."Brock will come armed," Agent Park said. "He's desperate. Cornered. That makes him unpredictable. Maybe more dangerous than Jessica because he's emotional instead of calculated.""But Jessica is the real threat," I said. "Brock is just her tool. Her weapon. She's the one planning this. The one pulling strings.""About that." Agent Park pulled up her tablet. Showed me communications intercepts. Cell tower data. Security footage from various locations. "We've been analyzing Brock's movements since his escape. Tracking his path. And Bethany, he's been in cons
I struggled against Brock in the darkness. His grip was strong. Desperate. But not trained. Not professional like Jessica's mercenaries had been."Let go of me!" I twisted hard. My elbow connected with something soft. His ribs. He grunted but didn't release me.Rodriguez's flashlight beam swung wildly. She couldn't get a clear shot. Brock and I were too tangled together. Moving too fast."Bethany, drop!" Rodriguez shouted.I went limp. Dead weight. Brock wasn't expecting it. His grip shifted. I slipped through his arms. Hit the floor hard.Rodriguez fired. The shot went high. Hit the ceiling. Plaster rained down.Brock ran. Down the hallway toward the kitchen. I heard him crashing into furniture. Knocking things over in the dark."Emma!" I screamed. "Emma, where are you?"No answer. Just silence from her bedroom. Terrible silence.I crawled toward her room. My hands found the doorframe. I pulled myself up. Felt along the wall for the light switch even though the power was out.Marcus'
I couldn't sleep after Agent Park's text about Brock's suicide attempt. Something felt wrong. Off. Like a piece of a puzzle was missing and I couldn't see what.At six AM, I called Agent Park directly."The suicide attempt. Tell me more. When exactly did it happen?""According to the prison, around midnight. Guard found him hanging from a bedsheet tied to the ceiling vent. Cut him down immediately. He's alive but in medical custody.""And you believe that? That it was really a suicide attempt?""I believe the prison is reporting a suicide attempt. Whether Brock actually tried to kill himself or whether something else happened, I can't confirm. Why?""Because Jessica visited him two weeks ago under a fake name. Because the man at Emma's window looked like Brock. Because the timing of everything is too convenient. What if Brock didn't try to kill himself? What if he escaped and the prison is covering it up?""That's a serious accusation. Prisons don't just cover up escapes.""They do if
We never made it back to New York.Agent Park changed plans within hours. "Too risky. Jessica knows we'd expect you to return. She'll be ready. Waiting. We need to relocate you again. Somewhere completely different. Somewhere no one knows about.""She found us in Vermont in less than a week. What makes you think anywhere else is safer?""Because someone leaked your Vermont location. Someone inside my organization. Someone Jessica has compromised." Agent Park's voice was tight with fury. "I've initiated an internal investigation. But until we find the mole, we can't trust anyone. This relocation, I'm handling personally. Only three people will know where you're going. Me. And two agents I've worked with for fifteen years. People I trust with my life.""You trusted the Vermont team and look what happened.""I know. But I'm out of options. Either we try again with tighter security, or I let you go back to New York and hope we catch Jessica before she kills you. Pick your poison."Montana
Agent Park called at dawn the morning after the fire."I heard about Marcus's apartment. Arson. Professional job. This is Jessica sending a message." Her voice was tight. "Bethany, you can't stay in New York. She's escalating. Next time it won't be an empty apartment. Next time someone dies.""I know. I'm already planning to leave. Small town. Far from here. Disappear like she wants.""That won't work. Jessica has resources to track you anywhere. She found Marcus's apartment. She knows your patterns. Your connections. Your habits. If you run on your own, she'll find you within weeks.""Then what do I do?""Witness protection. Federal program. New identities. Complete disappearance. We move you tonight. Safe house in Vermont while we build the case against Jessica. Once she's arrested, you can come back. Resume your life. But until then, you need to vanish completely."Marcus was listening. He'd spent the night on our couch, not wanting to be alone after the fire. He nodded at me. Agre







